In my first article last week, I made mention of the loss of my wife’s first pregnancy under circumstances that were clearly a spiritual attack. We knew she had taken it a few months later when similar attacks began again but we were ready for it. From personal experiences and from ministering to people for several decades, the following is my counsel about the pathways to victory.

The Lord spoke to me of the need for us to hold on to His Word regardless of her experiences after the loss of the first pregnancy. The attacks were numerous but through it all, we held on to God’s Word till she delivered the baby. No doubt, the Word of God remains the most important factor for victory. 1 John 5.4b says ‘..this is the victory, even our faith. Faith in God’s Word is victory. There must be a deliberate focus on the Word of God through daily meditation on relevant scriptures, feeding our faith through teachings and consistent confession of the same, while ignoring the antics of the enemy.

I remember an aide of mine pointing my attention to a bird specie that followed him around everywhere and seemed to be connected to spiritual limitations in his life. I found it quite absurd, but he began to repeatedly show it to me everywhere we went till I started noticing it whether he was there or not. The bird seemed to follow me everywhere till I began to focus on my dominion over animals according to Genesis 1.28 and ignored its presence. It disappeared thereafter. Satan is the god of this world system according to 2 Corinthians 4.4 and can manipulate circumstances in this realm to perpetuate fear in our hearts. Daily focus on the revealed Word of God about the redemption we have in Christ and its declaration in faith will put us over the enemy in every circumstance.

David Cho, Pastor Emeritus of the world’s largest church in Seoul, South Korea, narrated how he had an encounter with the devil in his hotel room in Japan many years ago. In that story, he was terrified and began to speak in tongues. Satan mocked him and seemed unperturbed. The Holy Spirit told him that it was through speaking God’s Word that he would gain victory. He then began to declare what the Word says about his victory in Christ over the devil. Again, Satan mocked him, telling him that he(Satan) would kill him when he was done quoting the Word of God. As Cho’s fears began to grow again, the Holy Spirit told him to continue speaking the Word of God, as the devil was lying. Satan ran away shortly after that as he ran away from the Lord Jesus in the temptation in the wilderness(Luke 4.13). The Word works, Halleluyah! Jesus combatted Satan with ‘It is written..’, the three times Satan tempted him. The child of God must feed himself with the truth of God’s Word about his victory through the finished work of Christ and declare it.

Where a believer is unable to overcome in the above way by himself, such should submit to a mature believer or minister of the gospel for deliverance according to Mark 16.17. Practices like burning of incense, and candles, bathing in the river, use of amulets, animal sacrifices, and so on have no basis in the New Testament even if some people obtain relief from them. At best, they constitute an appeasement of those forces of darkness and not an exercise of authority to expel them. Such practices in themselves are capable of opening doors for other forms of demonic intrusion. I appeal to people in denominations that practice such to do a diligent search of the New Testament and see if such is exemplified in the new covenant. They are even rare in the old covenant and found where isolated instructions were given relative to miracles like the healing of Naaman the Syrian. Nowhere was a demon expelled through such practices in the Bible and are therefore capable of leading to demonic intrusions in themselves.

It must be noted that outward manifestations are not a must. More demons leave quietly than those who leave dramatically. However, to discredit outward manifestation is either a demonstration of fear or ignorance. Such demonstrations as foaming in the mouth, crying with a loud voice, being thrown on the ground, and others were found in the ministry of Jesus and his Apostles. Regardless of how they leave, a firm resolve of faith that they should leave in Jesus’ name is a guarantee of victory. He has been given the name above all names (Philippians 2.7). More difficult and persistent situations might require extra time in the Word, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and some fasting. The revelation of the name of spirits behind bondages and their number either by the Holy Spirit or by the demon spirits weaken them and speeds up deliverance as in the story of the madman of Gadara in Mark 5.

I must conclude by reiterating that a deliverance ministration must not be seen as a means to permanent victory without faith in the Word of God. Many people have had to do deliverance repeatedly because they kept the door open to demons through fear, wrong confessions, or lifestyles of sin. After deliverance, keep the door shut on the devil through faith in the Word. Ephesians 4.27 declares ‘Neither give place to the devil’.